Piney Grove Campground, Bay Springs Lake, Mississippi

(Posted Sunday due to no connectivity at the lake)

We arrived here at Bay Springs Lake on Wednesday afternoon. We already had our spot reserved, so we sailed through the gate and right to our site. We picked the same site we had last year. There are some sites here that would be difficult for a 40'er, but this is not one of them. We also have ample room for the toad. The site is right on an end of a loop and is quite spacious with no one right on top of us.

Yesterday we took the boyz and drove over to Red Bay, Alabama, about 30 miles away. We wanted to make certain we had our spot in line for the coach work we want done. One of the biggies is a remount of the power awning. It does not work correctly and was mounted differently in an apparent experiment, but it will have to be removed and that will entail some possible body work on the coach. We have some other minor items, but we are here till it all gets done, so we are not worried time wise.

After that we drove to Fulton as I had not remembered what it looked like. While there we visited another COE park which is where James and Mary Francis (relatives) stay when they are here for the reunion. It is farther away than Piney Grove, but it is a very nice park. Not as many sites for big rigs, but it is extremely quiet and very few if any children running around. Piney Grove is more family oriented and it is noisy, but that doesn't bother us that much. If it weren't for the dogs, we would camp down at the Whitten Park. The problem is being farther away and being able to plan our "away" time from the coach so that we can get back and let the dogs out when necessary. Next week while we are at Red Bay, we will have them with us every day. They are quite comfortable, however, in the Sport Trac. More spacious than the Tracker and the air conditioning does a much better job of cooling the back seat. Yesterday they just rested and occasionally looked out.

We also stopped at Wally World so I could pick up ingredients for the reunion pot luck. I am taking salads. . . my famous pickles, i.e., cucumbers in sour cream and 5-cup salad, although it will be the 10-cup version for a larger crowd.

My crowns are functioning perfectly which is a relief after 9 months of pain when I chew. I am still so cautious when I eat but that is okay because it results in slower eating which usually means I eat less. Less is good for me. My back is killing me, however. I just cannot seem to get around some lifting of Neal on/off his ramp. He tries so hard and never complains. He just needs help. He is such a sweetheart. So is Bailey and fortuntely he doesn't have the mobility problems Neal does.

We took the Natchez Trace for about 100 miles on our way down here. We take it whenever we are close enough to it. It is such a beautiful drive. We saw deer and wild turkey and stopped at a picnic area to have our lunch. If you've never taken the Trace, you should put it on your list. It is 50 mph but with very little traffic and no towns, it may actually be quicker than other routes. And no big trucks to contend with either.

We are about to venture out on our walk, so I must go.

Till next time. . .

Dale